2004-11-01 - 3:54 p.m.

I finally "get" the matrix.

It was only while deeply pondering the odd constructions I find about me in society, strange and powerful mechanisms of control that exert remote control over individuals who mistakenly believe themselves free.

They are free in many dimensions, but it is those tiny slivers of absolute control that the mechanism has over them that is scary. Its arm is long and jointed and may not even always be traced back directly to its source, but know that there are only so many explanations for things that can be clearly measured, yet are not official explained. Thus the agitator at the source of the arm can be traced.

The ones who benefit in times of strife are the agitators. They are the strange attractor, the magnet for resources toward whose nexus you can trace the outwardly extruding branches of control, of argument, of infiltration.

Actually, I just remembered the thought that started all this and it was that cable programming should be illegal.

I don't mean making cable content available or selling cable content, nor am I implying that such content should be censored, or that the content carrier network as it is should be changed drastically, or terminated altogether. No, I argue that the *programming* of content should be outlawed.

The viewing of television content should be the equivalent of choosing which theatre to visit based on which plays each are presenting. The current method of choosing a stream of pre-programmed content is not acceptable because it allows too much remote control over the environment of too many human beings.

To control the environment (or a part thereof) of a creature, especially one who is encouraged to occupy a small environment, is to influence that creature (to some degree). Even a small degree of influence over a creature's environment can effect drastic changes in the behaviour of the creature, due to the laws of nonlinear dynamics.

Regardless of whether or not this power is currently being exercised in malicious ways, the potential for malicious abuse is too great to be allowed uncontested by the voice of the people.

People must be made to choose their own content items in order to ensure that consumer choice has proper influence over what is made available. Thus shall we find what we want to watch, instead of how far to the extreme our content can be made before there is a revolt.

Simply, the issue is: control.

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